Olympic Park to host Live Nation concerts and festivals from July

Gig promoter Live Nation have announced a deal to host two festivals and
Olympic celebration gigs in the Olympic Park and stadium from July.

Sparkles: Fireworks are seen over the Olympic stadium after the last rehearsal of the opening ceremonyPhoto: AFP

By Alice Vincent, Entertainment Writer, online

12:00PM GMT 22 Jan 2013

The Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and Stadium will reopen this July to host two major London festivals and at least two celebratory gigs. The news is the result of a deal between Live Nation, the world's biggest live music company, and the London Legacy Development Corporation, who are responsible for the future of the Olympic Park in Stratford.

Live Nation has confirmed that London multi-day events Wireless Festival and Hard Rock Calling will be held in the North Park of the Olympic Complex in July. The main stadium is set to re-open on 27 July for a two concerts to celebrate the first anniversary of the opening of the 2012 Games. No acts for either the festivals or the concerts have been confirmed. Last year's Wireless featured performances from Rihanna and Cavin Harris, while Bruce Springsteen and Paul McCartney appeared at Hard Rock Calling.

Both festivals were hosted in Hyde Park last year. The park had to cancel 80s event Hit Factory Live last summer after a run of events and bad weather conditions had ruined the ground.

London Mayor Boris Johnson spoke positively of the Live Nation deal: "Our vision for the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park has always been as a destination for world class sport as well as major cultural and leisure events." He continued, "The confidence shown by one of the world's leading live entertainment promoters to relocate two of its biggest music festivals from the centre of the capital is a ringing endorsement of out legacy plans."

John Reid, President of Concerts at Live Nation Europe, said: “We are delighted to be staging music concerts at the London Olympics venue, which last year became a globally-recognized site for outstanding performances – both in sport and music. Over the coming weeks, we intend to announce some major concerts with world-renowned artists, to firmly establish the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park as the centerpiece for great live music in Europe.”